The ethical conduct of people undertaking photography of birds in New Zealand has been a topic for many years. To address this issue and to increase awareness of potential negative impacts on birds, the Society produced a "Code of Conduct for the Photography of Birds".

The photo is a telephoto view of the site with the location of the artificial nest pedestals marked upon it. It can be viewed with binoculars from the Back Beach Walkway by the yacht club at Port Chalmers.

Graeme wants to know if shags are seen on the pedestals. Evening counts appreciated. Just enter your sightings in eBird!

The June 2017 edition of Birds New Zealand magazine has been published – the first edition to be printed in colour throughout. It announces the establishment of two new annual awards to encourage the publication of research by students and new authors in the Society’s journal, Notornis, and contains calls for applications to the 2017 Birds New Zealand Research Fund and for student support grants to attend the 2017 Australasian Ornithological Conference.

It reports on the important role of New Zealand bird data in assessing the importance of Yellow Sea coastal sites for migrant shorebirds, the results of a new genetic study of Little Spotted Kiwi, the important role of eBird data for bird conservation, the Birds New Zealand 2017 Youth Camp, the results of new surveys of the Black-billed Gull and the Black-fronted Tern, and the latest national wader censuses.

It features illustrated articles about two Heritage Expeditions journeys: “In the Wake of Scott and Shackleton – south to the Antarctic” in February 2016 by Birds New Zealand Council member Ian Armitage, and the “South-Western Pacific Odyssey” from New Zealand to New Guinea in April 2017 by Birds New Zealand magazine editor Michael Szabo.

The magazine also reports the re-nomination of Mel Galbraith and Keith Woodley to the Birds New Zealand Council for another three-year term, and the appointment of Denise Fastier as the Council Secretary. It also contains the quarterly report of the Society's President, David Lawrie, and quarterly reports from the regions.

Just a reminder that this year's Garden Bird Survey runs from 24 June to 2 July. It is open to anybody who can identify the birds in their garden. All you need to do is spend one hour watching the birds in your garden on one day between the above dates. For each species you detect, record the highest number you see or hear at one time. Full survey instructions, a bird identification guide, and an online survey form are available here: http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/science/plants-animals-fungi/animals/birds/garden-bird-surveys

The survey is a quick fun way to count birds without leaving your porch!

*Note: The Garden Bird survey is a collaborative project, supported by Birds New Zealand and established in 2006 to study the distribution and population trends of our common garden birds. By participating in the survey you will help build up a picture of how both native and introduced birds are faring in our gardens over the years and give us an indication of which species may be in decline, helping guide future conservation efforts. Results of previous surveys are available on the garden bird survey website.

Natalie Forsdick was awarded the "Birds NZ Conference - Student Award" for the best student talk at the 2017 NZ Bird Conference in Te Anau. Her presentation on "Genetic diversity and population differentiation within and between island populations of Chatham Island black robins and tomtits” was very well received.